This article appears in the May 2011 issue of Louisville Magazine. To subscribe, please visit loumag.com.

Resurrecting the Pub

Brian Goodwin, 24, and Todd Smith, 45, never hung out at the legendary Butchertown Pub, but the friends are resurrecting the name — and space — of the former bar as the Butchertown Pub Studios, where they record and produce everything from a video for folk rockers Hoots and Hellmouth to videos for corporate websites. “When people come in here, they always have a Butchertown Pub story — ‘I got really drunk and passed out over there’ or ‘I met my wife over there,’” says Smith as he walks through the cavernous production room. Says Goodwin: “There was definitely a stretch where the phone would ring and people were thinking we’re a bar.”

The two have no plans to open a pub in the studio, but the beer was flowing freely at a recent video production for local band the Ladybirds. A small crowd danced, red plastic cups in hand, and created a party atmosphere as the band did multiple takes of each song. Alex Clark, an audio engineer, hovered over two computer screens in the control room, monitoring audio levels as he gestured to Goodwin and Smith, who made sure everything was running smoothly.

Before setting up shop last year, Goodwin and Smith, who both have music-production backgrounds, each had his own small recording studio. The new space is set up to accommodate the recording and editing processes for video and audio content, and the building is also home to the guys’ other venture, called Gyroskope. “Sort of like a paid YouTube, with better-quality content,” Smith says. The site is set to launch this summer. They’re hoping My Morning Jacket will take notice.